Chapter 44: Baron [Weekly Challenge Bonus Chapter] [25 power stone = +1 Chapter] --- Chapter 44: Baron When James summoned his Ironclaw Bear, the crowd instinctively stepped back to give space to the towering five-meter beast.. James had conveniently named it Jbear, and it was his only companion left after that ambush. After his injury, James had believed both his and Jbear’s growth would end there. But now, seeing the beast’s massive form, pride welled in his chest—along with deep gratitude toward Leo, who had made this recovery possible. "O-oi! Quickly trigger the array, check its rank!" One of the employees said, flustered. The magic array beneath Jbear flared to life, symbols glowing as the measurement meter began to rise. It climbed smoothly to Peak 1-Star. "Yes, that’s expected," an employee murmured, jotting down notes. But the bar didn’t stop. It continued climbing. Knight Commander (High 2-Star). Gasps spread through the room. "Whoa—another Knight Commander? What’s going on today?" someone whispered. "Normally, we only see one every couple of years..." "Oi! It’s still rising!" another shouted. All eyes locked on the meter as the glow intensified. Then the bar stopped. Peak 2-Star. Silence blanketed the room. "B-Ba... Baron..." the clerk stammered before immediately straightening and bowing deeply to James. "Sir, please allow me to handle the rest." His tone had changed completely—laced with respect and a hint of fear. James gave a calm nod and handed him his medallion. As the clerk began processing the update, his gaze caught on a faint red marking on the medallion’s corner. "...What? It says crippled and timed mission?" he muttered under his breath, blinking in disbelief. He quickly shook his head. No. Impossible. Someone must’ve made a mistake. If I say that aloud, I’ll be killed. He hurriedly continued his work of elevating James’s rank and, in the process--discreetly removing any negative remarks, sweat trickling down his temple. The shock spreading through the hall was understandable. Kendru was a small place—barely ten thousand people. In such a town, even a Great Knight was a rarity, let alone a Knight Commander, and now... a Baron. In small domains like Kendru, two Barons spelt trouble, titles meant power, and power meant loyalty. People might start questioning their current ruler, urging that the new Baron take command—especially if the old one had been corrupt or incompetent. And in this case... he was both. Zerek had been infamous for his corruption, extortion, illegal inhuman activities, assaults, not to mention his scumbag offsprings--especially Zolton. But no one raised a finger against him; he had the power and also received a title. Not that anyone knew the previous Baron was already gone—his corpse long disappeared, quietly rotting away as manure. Leo refrained from bringing out the corpses of treants and a tiger to sell; he couldn’t afford to reveal that he could make things disappear, for now. They soon headed out of the Beast Hall and continued walking down the street beside James. Unknown to them, an informant had already been dispatched to the Baron’s mansion. "Sir James, how much land does a Baron medallion allow to capture?" Leo asked, eyeing the green jade in James’s hand. "Land? I think starting from Baron, you are not limited by land capacity. You can capture as much land as you want... which will increase of title ranking the more land you have." James said, recalling the clerk’s word. "Oh... A Knight Commander can capture 100 Hectares of Land." Leo said, comparing the numbers. He smirked inwardly. Who’s going through the hassle of capturing land for people to reside in? Hmm... maybe if something catches my eye then. Who says I cannot capture just 10 by 10 meters of land? Bah! I already have my Spiritual Island, I just need to master it. --- "W-Where am I...?" The woman’s voice trembled in the darkness. She looked around—nothing but pitch black. "I’m still alive?" she whispered, trying to touch her chest. But her body wouldn’t move. Panic crept in. "Why... why can’t I move?" She could feel something invaluable slipping away from her, as if he was drifting apart from an anchor that seemed to be weakening by the passing second. Suddenly, she heard a faint voice through the darkness. "..on...Co-e on... Damn it!" She recognised the voice instantly. Leo! "He came to save me... Where’s James? Is he alright? I need to warn them—Zerek will kill them! He’s here!" She desperately tried to warn Leo, but she couldn’t speak or open her eyes to see around. Only Leo’s voice seems to be struggling with something. Then she felt warm hands envelop her, it was strong, reliable and safe. She tried her best to open her mouth to speak or at least her eyes, but to no avail. --- "James!" The cry startled him. By now, the sun had long set. Leo and James had returned, Lily was preparing food while Leo helped her. At Sera’s sudden call, James sprang up from his chair, rushing to her side and catching her trembling hand. "Sera! I’m so glad you’re alright." His voice shook with relief. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Should I call Leo to heal you?" "W-Wait! Slow down..." She took a shaky breath. "I’m fine. But listen—Zerek’s here—!" Before she could finish, James pulled her into a tight embrace. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎 Sera froze for a moment, then melted into his arms, burying her face against his chest. "I-I was so scared, James... I thought I’d never see you again..." she sobbed, her tears soaking into his shirt. "I know," he whispered, stroking her hair. "And I promise—I won’t let anything like that happen again." Sera nodded, still crying softly, tightening her hold around him. Leo and Lily exchanged a look and smiled quietly, choosing to give them space. Lily stepped closer to Leo and pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek. "They’re happy because of you," she said with a warm smile. Leo smiled faintly in return. "Mm. I’m glad." But when he looked into her eyes again, there was something else there—something playful, mischievous. Haaah... I guess there’s no escaping tonight either. He smirked. Good thing I’ve got something in a cage for her, too.